This invention relates to storm shelters and more particularly to storm shelters for use with mobile homes without basements.
Mobile homes are particularly susceptible to damage from severe thunderstorms and tornadoes due to their light weight and fragile structure, large sail area, and inadequate or complete absence of an anchoring mechanism. Occupants generally have no means of protection from an approaching tornado or storm. While desirable, mobile homes and the like are generally not provided with any shelter against high winds by owners of the lots upon which the homes are placed.
Mobile home parks usually have a high density population. Lot sizes generally are kept as small as possible to allow for a maximum number of residents. Population density, lack of available land, encroachment of landscaping and costs are significant reasons that tend to preclude construction of storm shelters in mobile home parks. Typical shelters take up considerable room at the sacrifice of some of the features listed above.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,615,158 provides a storms shelter for use with mobile home, It discloses an enclosure communicating the interior of a mobile home. Part of the floor of the mobile home also serves as a trap door opening into the crawl space beneath the home. A flexible grommet defines a space in which a collapsible ladder extends to a point just below the trap door. The invention set forth in the patent does require a significant modification of the mobile home. Additionally it would require precise location of the door to an underground enclosure. It is in essence tailored to a particular home and would not permit ready replacement of the home without the modifications. The shelter also occupies space otherwise usable for other features in the mobile home park. Excavation costs would be increased.
Another U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,780 discloses a fully buried storm cellar composed of two precast concrete sections. Each section includes a part of a stairway and an aligned opening when the sections are assembled they form a complete stairway into the shelter. Again the cellar will occupy more land than is desirable.
A major object of this invention is to provide the mobile home owner with a practical and usable storm shelter that compliments the minimal space requirements of the park.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a mobile home with a storm shelter than collectively occupies no greater space than a mobile home without one.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a storm shelter which is completely self-contained and does not depend upon the mobile home for any part of its structure.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a mobile home owner with a storm shelter that also serves as a functioning associated accessory to the mobile home without encroaching on adjacent land of the park. In this regard it should be noted that mobile homes generally rest on a small foundation above the ground. As a result, the front door will be above ground level and requires some sort of stairway to be accessible. In many instances either the park owners or the mobile home owners construct not only steps but a small stoop that serves as a front porch to the entry way into the mobile home. The stoop often remains as a permanent feature and can serve other homes when moved into place. Thus, it is still a further object of the present invention to utilize the front stoop associated with the mobile home as part of a storm shelter.